Listen to the audio version. I included my interview on the very good Trail Runner Nation podcast. I recently went on it to talk to the guys about my new book, Classic Ultramarathon Beginnings. We discussed several of the very early ultras in our history.

Classic ultramarathons (races longer than 26.2 miles) include the oldest races, the most prestigious, the largest, the toughest, and the races that have captured the imagination of outsiders who look inside the fascinating sport of ultrarunning. Classic Ultramarathon Beginnings is the definitive history of how nine classic ultras began and includes the history of their first years.

 

Read the fascinating origins of these classic ultramarathons

The Barkley Marathons in Tennessee - "The race that eats its young."

The Comrades Marathon in South Africa - The oldest and largest ultramarathon in the world

London to Brighton - The race that started in 1897 and became the most prestigious ultra in the world

The Mount Baker Marathon in Washington - The first American mountain trail ultra that started in 1911

The Redwood Indian Marathon in California - The race of more than 400 miles that featured Native Americans in 1927

The JFK 50 - The oldest ultramarathon in America, held in Maryland

The Lake Waramaug 100 km - The oldest 100 km race in America, held in Connecticut

Across the Year - The premier fixed-time race in America, held in Arizona

Spartathlon - The race from Athens to Sparta in Greece in the footsteps of Pheidippides